The Prospects (13 page)

“Chaplain Monaghan, this is Trista. She can’t leave the premises, so I appreciate you coming in to give her a private mass, confession, or whatever she wants.”

“It’d be my pleasure,” said Chaplain Monaghan.

Alex saw Trista smile fully for the first time. “Thank you,” she said.

“I’ll text you when we’re done, agent,” said Chaplain Monaghan.

On the way back to the elevator Jim said, “A few days ago you were so afraid of that girl you almost didn’t take this assignment.”

“She’s not so bad once you get to know her.”

“That’s what Lady Amazing said, but Sarge insists she’s an irredeemable sociopath. And he has more experience.”

“I don’t think she’s bad,” said Gale Force. “She’s never hurt any of us.”

Alex put a key into the elevator and pressed two buttons at once.

“Oh, the roof,” Jim said to Gale Force, “You’re going to like this.”

The elevator opened at the roof of the skyscraper. The sky was gray. Small raindrops made circles in the puddles.

Alex checked his smartphone. “Where is he?”

“Be patient,” said Jim. “He likes to make an entrance.”

The sky above darkened. Lightning shot from rods in the four corners of the building. Gale Force clutched Alex.

A slender man with long silver hair flew in circles around the building. He came a little closer with each pass until he landed with a graceful run.

“Oh my god,” said Gale Force. “Is it Stormhead? It’s Stormhead!”

The usually reserved Gale Force was fawning like a little girl for a pop idol as Stormhead came towards them.

“Hello,” he said in a thick Norwegian accent. “You are the one I am supposed to train while Mr. Griffin has me on standing guard duty?”

Gale Force tried to talk but only managed to babble.

“Sarge told her that blasters are only good for shooting,” said Alex.

“Why would you take advice from a man who carries a hammer? Everything looks like a nail to him.” Stormhead swung his arms in circles. Arcs of electricity followed his fingertips. “From energy, I can make shields.” He pointed at one of the poles, which began to spark. “Or I can throw my powers for trick shots.” He looked down. “I could also shock that puddle you’re standing in, but you get the point. So, what can you do?”

Gale Force babbled some more.

“Does she speak English?”

“Maybe not as well as you,” said Alex.

“It is my third language. I’ll let her catch her breath. You can go, Alexander.”

As Alex and Jim rode down the elevator Alex said, “I still have to work with Zany. That’s just going to be katas and sparring. Do you want to come?”

“I’ve seen enough,” said Jim. “Make these kids useful as useful as you can. But no more emergency purchases.”

“If Deon's a slow learner, I'll need more goats.”

“That part made me want a drink. That and Mecha-Menta. And the city from up high on a rainy day.”

“I’m going to arrange an intervention for you.”

“Invite everyone, heroes and villains alike. We’ll make it a crossover event.”

After hours of practicing punches and blocks, Zany wiped the last of the greasepaint from her sweaty face. The scabs from the Iron Pirate’s spiked boot were almost completely gone.

“Getting tired, old man?”

“Old?” said Alex. “I won’t be thirty for a few months.”

“But you didn’t take me down that time.”

“I couldn’t get past your long legs.” Alex’s smartphone rang. “Wait.” He put it to his ear.

Zany snatched it. “Yoink.”

“Hey!”

Zany put the phone to her mouth and said in a sultry voice, “Hello?”

Alex lunged for the phone. Zany pushed him away with a kick.

“This is Candilyn. Who is this?”

Alex pounced. Zany dodged him with a forward roll.

“His wife? He just told me about the closest he’s come to cheating on you.”

“Give me the phone.” Alex grabbed at Zany’s feet. She jumped away.

“He showed me what a real man can do for hours. I’m so sweaty.”

“This is not funny!” Alex dove into her stomach. She rolled back and caught him with her knees dug into his side.

“Yes, but he can’t get past my long legs.”

Alex pushed his way up her. Zany slipped a leg in front of him, pushed him back, and held his neck in a scissor-hold with her calves.

“Damn it, Candilyn, give me that phone right now.”

“It’s been lovely.” She handed the smartphone to Alex.

Alex got up and covered the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Zany laughed. “I wanted to see if I could really keep you away.”

“Wrong time, idiot!”

Zany stopped laughing.

Alex lifted the phone. “Emily, are you there?”

Emily said, “I hope you found time to sign the papers.”

“No, its ...”

“But you found time to get sweaty with some little slut?”

“It’s not like that. She’s … I never cheated on you.”

A pause. “I didn’t call to fight.”

“Then why did you call?”

“Wednesday is Calvin’s birthday. I want to have a get-together for him. Look, you know how nasty my parents’ divorce was. I don’t want him to go through that.”

“I don’t either.”

“I want you to come. Whatever happens between us, you’re still Calvin’s dad. It’s important to him – to me – that you stay in his life. My friends and family already know about the divorce, I don’t know if you told yours yet.”

“I … family, no. Friends, who do I have except my teammates?”

“Let’s call a truce. No fighting that night. I don’t want him to see us tearing each other apart.”

“I don’t either. Do you really want our marriage to end, Emily?”

“It can’t go on the way it’s been. I know you want me to come around, but you’ve never come around for me. Just come to the party if you’re not too busy saving the world.”

“I’ll be there. No matter what happens, I’ll be there.”

“Oh, and Alex, don’t bring Candilyn.” She hung up.

“I’m so sorry,” Candilyn said. “I was just playing.”

“You have no idea how badly you ruined my life. I don’t want Emily to leave me, and now she thinks I’m with a bimbo.”

“Let me call her. I’ll explain.”

“No, you’ll find a way to make it worse.”

“Are you crying?”

Alex wiped his eyes. “I’m fine. Go away.”

Zany put her arm around his shoulder. “I know how much this hurts. My parents divorced. It’s hard on the whole family. I mean, hell, I blamed myself. And mom blamed me too.”

Alex couldn’t stop the tears. He came apart like an avalanche.

Zany embraced him.

Alex almost pushed her away before caving in and putting his arms around her. He buried his face in her shoulder and stopped holding back. She held him so tightly he could feel her heartbeat through her breast.

Alex openly sobbed.

Zany stroked his hair. “Let it out. I won’t tell anyone. You won’t hurt forever. You’ll find love again.” She kissed his cheek. “You’re a good guy.”

Billy Two bleated.

“Even if you kill goats.”

“No, out of the question,” said Alex.

“I’m ready now,” said Goldstreak. “If we do this tomorrow, everyone’s going to be screaming and shouting.”

“And that’s why we’re going to do it tomorrow. In real life, people will be screaming and shouting.”

Billy Two bleated.

“Is that how you did it?”

“I did it surrounded by soldiers. All through the program, everyone was calm and clinical about everything. And the first time I tried saving someone in real-life, I got so distracted by the screaming civilians … I don’t want what happened to my first patient to happen to any of you.”

Goldstreak fed Billy Two a stale pizza crust. “I promise I’ll keep you alive.”

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. You can do everything right, and your patient can still die. Ask your mom if you don’t believe me.”

“I’ve practiced, I’ve stocked and restocked my kit, I read everything you gave me and that I could find on the internet. I’m as good as I’m going to get.”

“And if Billy Two dies, I’ll order Billy Three.”

“Hope it won’t come to that.” Deon yawned. “I’ll get some sleep.”

Alex looked at his smartphone. “It’s that late?”

“Vijay and I were the only ones at dinner, and he went on and on about circuits and stuff. You and Candilyn were in the gym forever.”

“It was an intense session.” Alex flipped through his smartphone. “No text from the chaplain. This is weird.” He tensed. “If Trista’s not back here in fifteen minutes with me or Jenny, call Mister Griffin.”

“You don’t think she escaped, do you?”

“Sometimes I forget she’s a villain.”

Alex ran to the elevator. It seemed to take forever to him to get to the floor where he left Trista with Father Monaghan.

He patted his side to confirm his pistol was there and breathed deep. He created the sand mandala image in his head and swept it away for practice. If she hit him with a psychic attack, he’d be able to overcome it. He hoped.

When the elevator opened, he crept through the hallway’s shadows until he was at the door. He put his ear to it and heard Chaplain Monaghan say, “Seeking forgiveness is always good, but unless you forgive yourself …”

Alex holstered his pistol and knocked on the door.

“Yes?” said Father Monaghan.

“It’s going to be Monday soon.”

Chaplain Monaghan looked at his watch. “My word, is that the time?”

“I’m so sorry,” said Trista. “We’ve been talking for hours.”

“Well, few people can discuss scripture as well as you.”

“I read a lot in prison. And I have to tell you, this is the best day I’ve had since I got out.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Can you come again before next Sunday?”

“I’m free Wednesday evening. Agent O’Farrell can make the arrangements.”

Trista was beaming when she left the room.

“Did you have a good time?” asked Alex.

“It was great talking to someone who didn’t treat me like a monster. Did Lady Amazing call back?”

“Not yet.”

Trista’s smile faded to its usual frown.

“Jenny never came down, so we have to pick her up.”

Trista didn’t say a word as they got on the elevator together.

“Father Monaghan can come back on Wednesday,” said Alex. “I won’t be here, but I’ll let whoever covers for me know the arrangement.”

“Why won’t you be here?”

“It’s my son’s birthday.”

“Oh. I should’ve remembered.”

“Because that was the night we met.”

Trista shifted awkwardly in the silence.

Alex said, “Can I ask you something about that?”

“If this is brings up something we can’t talk about, I’ll tell you.”

“Agreed. That night, there were two Metahuman Affairs Bureau teams that could have given me backup. The team that came with me didn’t have psionic-resistant helmets or psychic self-defense training. What would have happened if the other team had gone in?”

Trista shrugged.

“Your tricks wouldn’t have worked.”

“If I couldn’t have controlled your men, I would’ve pressed the detonator. The hostages holding bombs were right outside the observation deck. The explosion would’ve killed you and them and destroyed the floor as an entryway.”

“It would have killed you too.”

“But it didn’t come to that.”

“It came to me almost arresting you. I had my gun to your head. What would’ve happened if I fired?”

“The detonator was set to my pulse. If that stopped, it would’ve gone off.”

"And if I shot myself, like you almost made me do, then what?"

"I'd have pressed the detonator."

“So, if things worked out any other way than they did, you would have died.”

“Pawns can be sacrificed to …”

“To what?”

Trista froze. “No, I would’ve been killed.”

“That’s my point.”

“The Idea Man made me willing to die.”

“I guess that’s why you turned your head when I had a gun to it.”

“He didn’t care for me. I worshipped him, and he used me … I was just a pawn to him.” She got choked up.

Alex pushed her shoulders against the elevator wall.

“Look in my eyes. You are Trista Gianni. You’re a church-going girl from South Brooklyn. You’re smart as hell. Bad things happened to you, but you’re stronger for having survived them."

“You don’t know what he did to me. I was a nerdy wallflower before he found me. I didn’t even know I had powers. But with him, I felt so …”

“You’re nobody’s pawn and you’re not a monster. You’re with me, and I want you to do what you want. If that means being with your family without wearing the nullifier, I’ll help.”

"No, I ... he ..."

“Trista, breathe deep.”

Trista inhaled loudly.

“Again.”

She inhaled loudly again. “I wish people would quit telling me who I am. I’d like to figure it out for myself.”

Alex released her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to tell you who you are, but I had to stop the tears. I can’t take any more crying today.”

“Who was crying?”

“Don’t ask.”

The elevator doors opened. Cold rain dripped on their faces.

Stormhead stood alone at the edge of the skyscraper.

Alex asked, “Where’s Gale Force?”

Stormhead pointed over the edge.

“What?” Alex ran over.

Gale Force floated in the air a yard from the roof with the long scarves of her costume swirling around her.

“Agent O’Farrell, look, I’m flying!”

“You’re hovering,” said Stormhead. “That’s the first step.”

“Great,” said Alex. “I needed another heart attack. Come in, it’s bedtime.”

“Send the wind below you in a vortex,” said Stormhead. “That’s how bumblebees fly.”

Gale Force slowly rose until she was level with the edge of the roof. Stormhead and Alex each took a hand and brought her in.

Alex wrung out one of her scarves. “You’re soaked.”

“Stormhead, can we do this again tomorrow? Please?”

“Mister Griffin has me on standing guard duty all week. You made it more fun.”

“Take Trista back to your room,” said Alex. “I need to talk to Gunnar.”

“That’s Stormhead when I’m in costume.”

“And you can call me Alex, but you insist on Alexander.”

Jenny talked to Trista at a mile a minute as the elevator doors closed.

Alex asked, “So, what did you think?”

“Nice girl with good powers.”

“That’s a boring description.”

“It’s what I think.”

“Did she tell you she’s quitting?”

“Yes. She won’t get on a team in two weeks. There are no more auditions.”

“And you’re okay with her quitting?”

“If that’s what she wants to do. Think about it, did you think of quitting when you were in the Agent Exo training program?”

“Not seriously.”

“Nor did I, not even in my darker days. We both fought through far more than she because we wanted to be heroes. We would never have given ourselves an ultimatum to do it by a certain time, and if we did we’d find a way to beat it.”

“But she could save lives, travel to other worlds, meet aliens ...”

“If someone can say no to being a hero, they should.”

“I thought you were dedicated to this life.”

“Think about this way of life.” Stormhead pulled his electric-blue bodysuit down from his neck to reveal a large scar. “Remember when Big Bad Roy almost cut me in half? You barely saved me. A year later, I barely saved you from Mind Dame. We both bear horrible scars, mine on the outside and yours inside.”

“What about our triumphs?”

“We lose so much for those moments. We sacrifice ourselves until we are martyrs to the greater good.”

“But someone has to do it. Someone has to save the world.”

“And we pay a high price for the privilege. Jim told me about Emily. If you could save your marriage by never having worn the exoskeleton, would you?”

“I … want to say yes, but ...”

“But you can’t say no to being a hero. If we force Gale Force to become a heroine, her heart wouldn’t be in it, and the losses would be so much more bitter. It would be better for her to live as a normal person rather than someone who lost everything because everyone told her she must.”

“You’re right, this has to be her decision. I thought I was the only one who had regrets about this life.”

“You can regret all you want, but you never really had a choice. We do this not because the public gives us praise, and not because we are too weak to challenge society as our enemies say, but because we must. We are beyond virtue, beyond vice. We do this because the world needs us to as much as we need to. Even now you act like you’re wearing a suit of armor. That’s why you’re covered in bruises and bandages.”

Alex pointed to the lights of New York at night. “If I still had the exoskeleton, I’d jump across those rooftops along Broadway just to swing through Times Square and land in Central Park. I loved doing that at night. There’s nothing like the freedom of rising above everyone else.”

“If you spent more of those nights with Emily,” said Stormhead, “you wouldn’t be up here now.”

“It’s weird,” said Alex, “but ever since Calvin was born, I felt like I shouldn’t be a part of the family, like they’d be better off without me. Maybe I spent a lot of time in the exoskeleton to not think about that.”

“Having a child makes a man redefine himself. Maybe you should think about how you did it.”

“Are you saying I should have quit being Agent Exo?”

“There were ninety-nine other men who wanted to wear that exoskeleton. Nine were almost as capable as you. It wouldn’t have been hard to find a replacement if you left. I like you, Alexander, but all you were was a guy in a suit. All that kept you in it was your inability to think about quitting.”

“What about you? Do you ever think of repressing your powers and blending in with the rest of society?”

Electricity coursed over Stormhead’s body. “I’m a mutant. I can never stop being this, even though there are times I want to.”

“I mean, you don’t have to fly around and shoot lightning, do you?”

“I hurt anyone who gets close to me. I always will.”

“You never hurt me.”

“We work well together, but we are not close.”

“Are you close to anyone? I mean, I’ve never seen you have a relationship or a friend or family visit from Norway? I mean, I’ve never even seen you out of your costume.”

Stormhead looked away. “You know everything about me that I am comfortable sharing.”

Alex left without another word. He didn’t know what to say to that. Stormhead may have been reliable as a comrade-in-arms, but he never spoke of his life before coming to America. For that matter, he didn’t seem to have much of a life in America. He never mentioned having friends or even family he kept in touch with.

Alex didn’t realize how cold and wet he was until he was back in the elevator. He picked off the band-aid over his eye and removed the soaked gauze from around his neck. Everything had scabbed over. Soon they would only be scars.

What if he did walk away from Griffin Tower? What if he went back to Emily and said all of the superhero business was done, that he was going to be a husband and father before anything else? Would she take him back? Would the world go on?

No, maybe it wouldn’t. He was the one who stopped Baron Muerte from unleashing a zombie plague in Mexico. When the Iron Pirates took over the orbital nuclear missile mount, he was the only one on the team who could withstand the vacuum of space to plant explosives on their communication link. And there was also the time when a biological experiment gone wrong turned an undersea research lab into a hive of homicidal mutants, when his exoskeleton let him save survivors huddled in a freezing air pocket. It seemed selfish to forget the millions of lives he saved just because of a divorce.